The Crime of Passion
by rlcs
Summary: Soon to be edited/reposted. Very important that you read the last "chapter" of this. I'm in need of someone to beta the newly written/edited chapters of this story before I delete and start reposting it. Thanks!
1. Prologue

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**Prologue: A Letter in the Night ****

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It was 3:45 am when Hermione Granger was awakened by a faint tapping sound coming from her bedroom window. Groggily, she got up and went to investigate the cause of this most unwelcome wake up call. She opened her window and a large and majestic eagle owl flew though it. It came to rest on the perch Hermione had set up to accommodate her own eagle owl, Mercury. She warily walked over to the brown intruder, who was at that moment affectionately hooting at Mercury, and untied the letter attached to its leg.

"What has Kingsley got for me this time Hermes?" she asked the owl, giving it one of Mercury's treats. Slowly she broke the Ministry seal on the envelope and unfolded a short letter from Kingsley Shacklebolt.

_Hermione,_

_There has been a murder in the wizard business district of London. The victim is one Cecilia Carroway. She was found dead in her office little under a half hour ago. She appears to have been tortured and given the killing curse. You are now under direct orders to come straight to the scene of the crime. I trust that your connection to the floo network has been restored after that unpleasant situation with the unknown follower ended? If so, all you have to do is say 'Malfoy Industries Headquarters' before you enter the fire. They will be expecting your arrival shortly._

_Sincerely,  
Kingsley Shacklebolt  
Minister of Magic_

Hermione, at the mere age of twenty two, had risen through the ranks of the Ministry's Department of Law Enforcement, to become their head Investigative Auror. In short, she had become the Ministry's answer to Sherlock Holmes. She had not yet been presented with a case that she could not solve and was revered in the wizarding world for cracking down on illegal activity. Lately, she had been taking on high profile murder cases and solving them with hawk like precision.

Now, she was being called on to solve a gruesome murder which had been committed at Malfoy Industries. True, Draco Malfoy had managed to clean up the mess which his father had made after Harry Potter had defeated Voldemort, but that didn't mean that the company was completely legitimate. After all, no matter how business savvy Malfoy was, he could never have pulled the company out of its downward spiral which began after his father was exposed as an embezzler, not to mention Voldemort's right hand man, without making a few less than wholesome transactions.

Hermione sighed, but went into the bathroom of her luxurious one bedroom flat and splashed some cold water on her face to wake herself up. She warily made her way to her wardrobe and retrieved a dark blue robe. She wrapped herself in it and made her way to the fireplace in her living room; she took a pinch of silvery powder from the flower pot on the mantle, stepped into her fireplace, and pronounced her destination.

"Malfoy Industries Headquarters"

With that raging green flames enveloped her and she felt the familiar dizzy feeling one gets while traveling by floo powder. After a few seconds of traveling and passing somewhere around fifty grates, she finally reached her destination and was spit out of the network.

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**TEASER**: **Dead bodies. Mysterious communiqué****s. Disappearances. Crazed stalkers. Horrifying howlers. Death threats. Draco Malfoy. Hermione Granger. Romance? Keep reading _The Crime of Passion_ to understand how they all fit together.**

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**AN: For all returning readers, if you didn't get a chance to read the author's note I left before I deleted the chapters, please read my author's page.**

**Review please.**

**-rlcs**


	2. Chapter One: Interrogations

**Disclaimer: RLCS doesn't own the Harry Potter Universe. This disclaimer shall apply to every chapter henceforth, because I forget to add them in sometimes.**

**Don't hurt me, I know that I already deleted and re-uploaded this chapter BUT there are definite changes so READ IT ALL (or you can just scroll down to the part where Blaise walks in) or you'll be lost when I update the next chapter. It's longer now because I combined two chapters. And I changed a few details that may seem unimportant now but will be later on. ****  
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**Chapter One: Interogations**

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Hermione got up off the floor and dusted herself off. She hated traveling by floo but considering that the other option was flying on a broom, floo was like a walk in the park on a beautiful autumn day. She looked around and took in her surroundings. She was in a dimly lit room that looked as if it was used for an employee lounge; it had a few leather armchairs and a black leather couch as well as a refrigerator and a microwave.

Suddenly, the door in the far corner of the room burst open and Hermione was greeted by none other than Harry Potter, who had his wand drawn.

"Oh 'Mione, it's just you. Well you know the first thing they teach you in training; constant vigilance."

Hermione smiled and nodded. She, Harry and Ron had entered auror training together as soon as they left Hogwarts and after Harry had defeated Voldemort in their last year. They were also joined by Pansy Parkinson who had joined the Order of the Phoenix in their last year, as well as Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. With the information that the Order got from those three as well as professor Snape, they managed to infiltrate Voldemort's hide out and defeat him once and for all.

After the war, the six were able to put aside their petty childhood rivalries and became civil towards each other, but that didn't mean that they were the best of friends. True, Pansy had bonded with the "Golden Trio" during training and was now considered a friend, but Draco and Blaise were another story. Although they were civil and willing to carry on normal conversations when in the same room with any of the Gryffindors, they by no means went out of their way to be friends with them.

Hermione was shaken out of her thoughtful trance when she heard Harry calling her name.

"'Mione, earth to 'Mione, can you hear me?" he asked while waving his wand in her face.

Hermione laughed and swatted him in the arm.

"Harry, grow up already."

Harry gave her one of his trademark grins and led her into a long hallway lined with doors. Harry's face suddenly took on a serious look as he started to describe the crime in all its gruesome detail.

"Her name is Cecilia Carroway, and she was twenty years old. She was Draco's secretary and she had been hired little under a year and a half ago. A janitor found her while he was opening up the building. She appears to have been tortured and given the killing curse."

"How do you know it wasn't suicide?"

"We performed a Priori Incantatem on her wand. The last spell she performed was to unlock her office. Actually, her wand was found locked in her desk drawer."

"Are there any tell tale signs of torture on the body?"

"No"

"Then I'm assuming that you got a medi-witch to perform a transparency spell?"

"Yes, you won't believe what this poor girl was put through. Her lungs looked like cottage cheese, where her kidneys should have been, there were sacks of puss and her heart had been skewered by a metal rod. Whoever did this to her was a professional. If you looked at her with the naked eye it would look as if she had just dropped dead of some illness. Even her face was peaceful but her eyes…her eyes weren't devoid of emotion like most people that get avadaed. (A/n: I know that's most likely spelled wrong) She had a look of utter terror in her eyes. It's down right chilly."

"Have you gotten an estimated time of death?"

"12:15 am"

"Where is Draco?"

"He's on his way here; Pans just owled him."

"What about Blaise?"

"Same"

"Did you call anyone else in for questioning?"

"No, but Ginny came along with Ron, Pans and I to complete her auror field training and she recognized Cecilia. Cecilia was a Hufflepuff year younger than her and she had an older sister in Ravenclaw who was classmates with Ginny."

"Have you owled the sister yet?"

"No"

"Get someone to do that, I want to interview her about her sister set an interview time for sometime later today."

"I'll get on it shortly."

Hermione nodded; they had reached the end of the hallway and stopped in front of a closed door labeled _Cecilia Carroway_. Harry opened the door and they entered the crime scene. Hermione saw that Ron, Pansy and Ginny were standing to one side of the room conversing about something. She and Harry walked over to them and Hermione greeted them all warmly.

"Hey Ron, Gin, Pans."

She was greeted with a chorus of "Hey 'Mione"s

"So Pans, you owled Draco and Blaise, right?"

"Yup, they should be here soon."

"Alright, I think I'll go have a look at the body."

Her four friends/colleagues nodded and she slowly made her way to the body which lay in the center of the room. It was just as Harry had said, her features were totally relaxed but her eyes were stormy and troubled; it _was_ a rather haunting sight.

She knelt down and took a closer look at the area around the body. There was no blood spatter nor were there any other signs of a struggle; the scene was immaculate. Suddenly she heard the door open and shut behind her and she turned to see who had caused the commotion.

There greeting Pansy, Harry, Ron and Ginny cordially was Draco Malfoy. He walked over to Hermione and extended his hand to her and she took it stiffly. Hermione noticed that he didn't bother to look at the body.

"Granger"

"Mr. Malfoy"

"I understand you wanted to talk to me about Ms. Carroway's death?"

"Yes, is there somewhere we can speak privately?"

"Will my office be alright?"

"Yes, that would be fine."

"Alright, follow me then."

Hermione followed Draco but before she left she asked Harry to alert her when Blaise arrived. He nodded and she walked out of the room.

Draco's office, as it turned out, was across the hall from Cecilia's and was rather expensive looking. It had office furniture of fine cherry wood and all the latest in wizard electronics. He even had a telephone and a computer.

"I'm surprised you have indulged yourself with muggle technology Mr. Malfoy"

"Granger…Hermione, how long have we known each other? You can call me Draco you know. And I'm just trying to keep up with the times."

"Well _Draco_, let's get this interrogation over with."

"As you wish. Have a seat." he said pointing to his desk chair. She sat and he conjured himself an armchair facing her and sat down.

"Do you have any connection to the murder of Ms. Cecilia Carroway?"

"No, I do not. And Granger, what kind of question is that? If I _had_ anything to do with her murder do you think I'd tell you?"

Hermione reddened when she realized he was right.

"Look Malfoy, it's the wee hours of the morning. Can we just get on with this?"

He smirked that annoying smirk of his but nodded.

"Where have you been since you last saw Ms. Carroway and can anyone verify your presence?"

"I went home with Blaise and we flew around on our brooms for a bit. Then I had a business dinner with a client from America, Mr. Genthry. You can contact him if you wish."

Hermione nodded and he continued.

"Well, after the dinner, he and I parted ways and I went home to sleep. That is till I was awakened by a ministry owl and came here. I'm sure my house elves can assure you that I was home."

Hermione rolled her eyes when he mentioned house elves but decided she was in no mood to go into the finer points of house elf rights at four thirty in the morning, so she pressed on with her questioning.

"How long had Ms. Carroway been in your employment?"

"I believe it was little under a year and a half."

"And did you have any prior connections to Ms. Carroway before she came into your service?"

"No, she was sent to me by a secretarial agency."

"Did you spend time with Ms. Carroway outside of an office setting?"

"Once in a while we would go out to dinner after a long day at the office."

"Were you and Ms. Carroway ever romantically involved?"

"No, she had a boyfriend."

"What was his name?"

"I believe it was, Todd Carter. I also believe they got engaged around a month ago."

"Had you ever met Todd Carter?"

"Yes, but I never got to know the guy. Cecilia introduced him to me while she was leaving for lunch with him. He had also come to pick her up a few times."

"From what you knew about him, did he seem shady or untrustworthy?"

"I didn't pay much attention to him."

"C'mon, you must have noticed something."

"No, I don't exactly take interest in the personal lives of my employees unless it benefits me."

Hermione rolled her eyes

"Why am I not surprised?"

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

Just as Hermione was about to reply there was a knock at the door. Hermione used her wand to open it and Harry walked in.

"Blaise is here."

"Thanks Harry, and have you sent an owl to Ms. Carroway's sister?"

"Yes and her name is Jessica."

"Alright, Draco, I think we're done for now, but I would like to interview you more later. Would that be alright?"

"Whatever" he replied noncommittally.

"Alright, I'll be in touch. Harry please send Blaise in here."

"Of course."

With that Draco and Harry walked out of the room and Blaise sauntered in a few moments later.

Compared to Draco, Blaise had always been a gentleman, even in their Hogwarts days. A couple of times in seventh year, he and Hermione were paired together in advanced Arithmancy and they had had pleasant conversations. As Blaise walked into the Draco's office, clad in khaki slacks and a midnight blue polo, he gave her a business like nod and took a seat in the chair Draco had occupied not two minutes prior.

"Good evening Hermione or I guess I should say should I say good morning?"

"Good morning to you to Blaise, it's nice to see you again; I'm sorry it couldn't be under more cheerful pretenses"

"Quite alright, now perhaps we should get this over with."

Hermione nodded, she went through the same questioning process with Blaise that she had with Draco and had come up with similar results.

"When was the last time you saw Ms. Carroway alive?"

"Yesterday morning, when I came to have a meeting with Draco."

"Did she seem peaky or worried in anyway?"

"Not that I noticed, no."

"Did you ever meet her fiancé, Todd Carter?"

"I met the guy once or twice; he seemed like an ok guy."

"Did you ever have a conversation with him?"

"No, he was ok, but he was quite anti-social, never said more than 'hi' and 'goodbye' to me."

"I see. Well Malfoy wasn't much help with telling me about Cecilia's personal life. Would you happen to know anything that would be useful to me?"

"Like what?"

"Things like, if she behaved strangely, had any weird habits, anything that could raise suspicions."

"Well, she always seemed like a pretty well put together girl. Always came to work dressed to kill, got all her work done proficiently. I believe she was in Ravenclaw back at Hogwarts. She was always cheery, added a good vibe to Draco's floor. Till she came, Draco was driving us all crazy with his constant grumpiness."

Hermione chuckled and motioned for him to go on.

"But now that I think about it, she's been acting a little off for the past month. I can't put my finger on it, but she's been a little more reserved."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, usually when I came up for a meeting with Draco, she would be all chatter when I came into her office. She would talk about EVERYTHING from the weather to how Puddlemere United was doing this season. But lately, she's just been shuffling papers and taking calls. She's still very sweet but she seems a little more jaded. I figured Malfoy's workaholism was finally getting to her. Her's wouldn't be the first secretary's spirit he's broken."

Hermione nodded and was about to ask another question when there was another knock at the door, this time it was Pansy.

"Mione, I'm sorry to interrupt but we've found something that you may find interesting."

"Alright, Blaise, I think that's all I need to know from you but I'll be in contact if I need to talk to you again. Would that be alright?"

"Of course, but I think I'll stick around a little while if that's ok. I need to talk to Draco."

"As you wish, but please, stay out of Ms. Carroway's office. It is still a crime scene."

Blaise nodded and followed Hermione and Pansy out of the room. He took a left down towards the employee lounge where Pansy told him Malfoy was. Hermione and Pansy walked into Cecilia's office and Ron stepped up to them holding up an iPod.

"We found this in one of her desk drawers. I didn't know what it was but apparently Ginny says it's some kind of muggle music system."

Hermione gave a soft chuckle. "Ron you know how to work a computer and a cell phone but you still don't know what an iPod is…tsk tsk, you need to keep up with your muggle technology."

Ron's ears turned slightly pink but other than that he seemed unfazed by her kind hearted ribbing.

"Anyway" he continued "Ginny performed a fingerprint spell on it and found only those of the victim. Then she plugged the two head sets in her ears and listened to some of the songs."

"And?"

This time it was Ginny who spoke up.

"And, there was only one song on the thing, honestly all that money and you put ONE song on it."

Hermione smiled and asked what song it was.

"Listen for yourself." Ginny replied, taking the iPod from Ron's grasp and handed it to Hermione. She charmed the earphones to act as speakers and scrolled the click wheel menu to Songs. There she saw only one title: _Twenty Four - Jem. _As the song filled the room Hermione couldn't help but notice that some of the lyrics foreshadowed the way Cecilia's final day would play out.

_In 24 hours they'll be  
laying flowers  
on my life, it's over tonight  
I'm not messing no I  
need your blessing  
and your promise to live free  
please do it for me_

_I'm not alone, I sense it, I sense it  
All that I said, I meant it, I meant it_

Hermione mused to herself _'Why would she put that, of all songs, on her iPod? Unless she knew she would be murdered, but then…why wouldn't she have told anyone? What was this girl involved in?'_

Just then, the door of the office, which had been shut after Hermione and Pansy had entered, burst open and a clearly emotional young man ran into the room followed by another auror, Jay Phelps, who had his wand drawn. When he saw Cecilia's body the man broke into uncontrollable sobs and collapsed onto the floor.

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**Teaser****: Is Draco telling the truth? What's the true story behind Cecilia's murder? What does the song mean? And who is this mysterious stranger? Find out soon, in _The Crime of Passion._**

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**_Review Please. It makes me happy.  
_**

_**-rlcs**_

**A/N: This chapter used to contain the full lyrics to the song. I edited it because, first of all, I'm not allowed to use them. I tried to figure out a way to take it out all together but there's no way it would have worked without atleast SOME of the song in there. If you want to full lyrics just search for the song on google. And if you want to hear it…well I think there is probably a preview for it on iTunes.**

**One more thing and this is VERY IMPORTANT!!! I'm looking for a beta. In a sense that you would get the full plot (or most of it anywho...) and you would give me your opinion on how it sounds. If you're interested leave me a review. Please let me know ASAP. thanks.   
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**haha this will be my only really long author's note for this story (but I reserve the right to take it back later if need arise).****  
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	3. Chapter Two: Promises and Friends?

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**Chapter Three: A Promise to Live Free**

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Everybody in the room stared at the man, startled by his sudden appearance. Finally, after a few seconds Jay spoke up. 

"I'm sorry guys, I tried to stop him but he was just too hysterical for me, he kept darting every which way and I couldn't hit him with my stunning spells."

"It's alright Jay. You can return to your post now, we'll take it from here." said Hermione

Jay nodded and walked out of the room. Hermione walked cautiously towards the man and took out her wand, in case he was armed.

"Sir, my name is Hermione Granger and I am chief investigative auror for the Ministry of Magic. You are intruding upon a closed area of investigation. What is your name?"

Slowly the man raised his head and looked at Hermione with a tear stained face and she couldn't help but feel pity towards the otherwise handsome man.

"My name is Todd Carter; your victim was my fiancé."

"Well, Todd, may I ask how you knew about Ms. Carroway's death? I gave instructions that only those I called in to be questioned were to be notified."

"A letter from her just arrived at my flat. I apparated over here as soon as I read it."

"You did? Do you have the letter with you Todd? If I could see it, it may give me a lead on who did this to her.

Todd was hesitant as if he didn't trust her but in the end he nodded, took a small piece of parchment out of the pocket of his cloak and handed it to Hermione with a trembling hand. Slowly Hermione reached out and took it from him. She read it to herself quickly then out loud for the others.

_I'm not alone, I sense it, I sense it. All that I said, I meant it, I meant it. In just 1 hour they'll be laying flowers on my life, it's over tonight. I'm not messing no I need your blessing and your promise to live free please do it for me._

_I love you Todd, but please promise that you won't let my death affect you for long. Mourn for me, mourn for the girl you thought I was, for the girl I wish I was but don't let grief consume you. I want you to be happy and if that means I can't be in your life, well…so be it. I wish I could tell you everything, but I can't. Please just promise me that you'll live a free life when I'm gone. Just remember…I'll be watching over you…and I love you so much._

_All that I said, I meant it, I meant it…_

_Always yours,  
Cecilia_

"Todd, how did you know to come here?" asked Hermione after she had read the letter once more to herself. She was completely at a loss about why Cecilia would write such a cryptic letter.

"It was delivered by a Malfoy Industries corporate owl, the kind that she usually uses only to send business letters and such. It struck me as odd since whenever she owls me, she uses her own owl, Cosmos. So I figured she must be here."

"I see, when is the last time you saw her?"

"This morning right before she left for work, we share a flat nearby."

"Alright Mr. Carter, I would like to question you further, but now is not the time for it. I will keep in touch with you on the details of the case, but I must ask you to leave for now. Would you mind if I kept this letter for a while?"

Todd nodded and allowed himself to be escorted out of the room by Ginny after one last look at Cecilia's body.

"I'm very sorry for your loss" was all Ginny said when she saw the immense pain in his eyes.

Todd nodded once more and then turned the corner out of the room.

Hermione and her friends spent a few more minutes searching the scene and Hermione cast another transparency charm on the body so that she could see the damage done herself. Harry was right; this poor girl had been through so much. Hermione had seen some pretty gruesome deaths before, but this…this was definitely the most horrendous by far. Finally, fearful that she would be sick (despite the lack of food in her stomach), she took the charm off and called for Harry and Ron to take the body down to the morgue at St. Mungo's.

After they had gone, Hermione, Ginny and Pansy made their way to the employee lounge where Blaise and Draco were having a quiet conversation; they abruptly stopped when they saw the women enter. This roused Hermione's suspicions, but she chose to hold back from making unnecessary accusations till she had more evidence. Instead her gaze fell to Draco.

He had grown up quite a bit since their Hogwarts days. He was now around six foot one, which was still at least three inches taller than Hermione in her favorite Stiletto boots. She also noticed that he probably still practiced recreational quidditch since he appeared to be well toned. He was still as pale as always but somehow it was now a handsome type of paleness, as opposed to him looking sickly all the time. He, like Blaise was also in khaki slacks, but he was sporting a black polo which brought out the smoky grey color of his eyes. Hermione couldn't help but be mesmerized by his good looks. Suddenly she was shaken out her reverie when she heard Draco's voice talking to her.

"Granger, what are you staring at?"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry Malfoy, I was thinking about the case." she lied coolly.

He smirked at her but didn't say anything more. Instead he turned to Pansy and started up a conversation. Hermione was tired, it was now 5 o' clock in the morning and she had been up till two am that night with her cousin Nicole because it was her twenty first birthday. Hermione had refused to have any liquor because she was the designated driver, but she still felt as if she had a terrible hangover, which had only increased since she had arrived at the crime scene. She turned to everyone in the room and excused herself, saying that she wanted to get some sleep. They all nodded and she walked over to the fire place and stopped short; she really didn't feel like taking floo twice in one night, especially since she had a splitting head ache. She walked over to where Draco was still having an animated conversation with Pansy and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Draco, is it possible to apparate in this building?"

"No, it's impossible to apparate anywhere in the Wizard business district."

A look of confusion overtook Hermione's features "Why?"

"Because a while ago it was discovered the corporate spies were apparating in and out of their competitors' offices and stealing plans. So they petitioned for the ministry to outlaw it."

"Oh. Ok, then is there any other way to get home? I don't want to walk all that way back to my flat."

"Can't you just floo there?"

"I have a splitting headache and flooing would only make it worse."

"Well, is there anyone here with a car or something besides me?"

All the people in the room shook their heads and said they had either flooed there or in Blaise's case flown on his broom.

"Fine Granger, I guess I'll drive you myself; can't have the great "Sherlock" Granger losing any sleep by _walking_" said Draco sarcastically.

Hermione wasn't too thrilled about the prospect of getting into a car with Draco Malfoy, but she nodded her consent only because she knew she had no other choice; of course, not without a comeback of her own.

"Wow, I didn't know they gave ferrets driver's licenses." she bit back at him in an equally sarcastic tone.

Draco cringed at the memory but led Hermione out of the room and down several flights of stairs towards the parking lot after saying goodbye to everyone else. No conversation transpired between the two until they reached Draco's car when Hermione let out an audible gasp. Draco smirked and took this as a chance to flaunt is extreme wealth.

"You like my car Granger?"

Hermione nodded absently. Draco drove a silver BMW sedan which screamed "I HAVE MONEY LET ME FLAUNT IT FOR YOU!!"

"Well Granger, are you going to get in or will I have to drive off without you?" asked Draco, the smirk never leaving his handsome face.

Hermione shook her head and got into the passenger side of the car which Draco had graciously opened for her.

"Well Draco, holding the door open for a lady?" she said somewhat mischievously to lighten the somber mood.

For the first time that night Draco actually cracked a smile, nothing toothy but just a sincere smile and said "Chivalry isn't dead you know."

Hermione smiled back and decided that if she was to be in a car with Draco Malfoy for any period of time, she might as well make it more tolerable. Draco walked around to the driver's side of the car and got in. He started the car and pulled out of the lot.

Draco made his way down the street at a moderate pace, almost as if he wanted to prolong the trip. Hermione, of course, was too indulged in soothing her aching head to notice. Draco, on the other hand _did_ notice that the girl sitting next to him was constantly rubbing her temples and letting out soft groans. Finally, after about a minute of hearing groan after groan, he couldn't take it any longer and pulled the car over.

"What are you doing Malfoy?"

"I'm going to get rid of your head ache."

"And how do you propose you will do that?"

"Easy, open the glove compartment and there should be a vial of Lurex Potion. It's used to relieve major migraines. Take two sips of it and your headache will be gone almost instantly."

Hermione was hesitant to follow his instructions and instead chose to question him.

"Why have I never heard of Lurex Potion?"

"It's a new miracle potion from the US. It just passed inspection by the WDA." said Draco in an exasperated tone, as if he was talking to a 10 year old. (A/n: think of the WDA as the wizarding equivalent of the FDA)

Hermione was still wary of trusting Draco, but by now her head was in excruciating pain and she just wanted some relief. She opened the compartment and low and behold, there was a vial filled with a bluish silver liquid. She uncorked it and sipped from it two times. Immediately she felt the throbbing pain in her head begin to ebb and the continual ringing start to subside. In a matter of minutes she felt as if she had just awoken from a relaxing dreamless sleep.

"Thanks Mal…Draco."

"Yeah, I just didn't want to hear your groaning for the whole car ride."

"Oh, well…thank you anyway."

"Whatever…"

An awkward silence ensued, which lasted for at least five minutes when it was broken when Hermione's stomach rumbled loud enough to give even Crabbe and Goyle a run for their money. Draco took his eyes off the road and looked at her with one eyebrow raised as she looked down at her feet embarrassed.

"Hungry Granger?"

"Maybe a little" she admitted sheepishly.

"Well, we can't have that."

Draco turned left at the next intersection, which was the opposite direction of Hermione's flat.

"Draco, you were supposed to make a right."

"I know that Gran…Hermione but you're hungry and I happen to know a restaurant that is open twenty four hours."

"Why do you care? I do have food at my apartment."

"Well, that may be so, but like I said 'chivalry isn't dead' so I'll be a gentleman and take you out to satiate your appetite."

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather just drop me off and get me out of your car?"

"And what would make you think that?" asked Draco as he focused on the road and made a left turn.

"Oh come on Draco, we both know how much animosity there has always been between us, starting back at Hogwarts. Why the sudden need to be a gentleman?"

"You want the truth Hermione?"

"That would be lovely." she answered sarcastically

Draco pulled over once again and looked Hermione straight in the eye.

"Maybe, I'm not the same person that held all that animosity towards you and your friends. Maybe, I've grown up since my Hogwarts days. Maybe during the war I realized just how much crap my father forced me to believe. And maybe, just maybe I could be willing to become friends with you. But whether or not you believe me is completely up to you. You're supposed to be the most brilliant witch since Dumbledore himself. Hopefully, you can figure out the truth."

With that he put the car back into gear and drove off again, leaving Hermione to think about what he said as she sat beside him in stunned silence. She began to contemplate what he said.

'_He didn't seem angry, he seemed sincere. If he really wants to be friends I guess I owe it to him to at least give him a shot. He did help the Light side in the War. I just hope I don't live to regret this, I mean, technically he is still a suspect. Oh Merlin, I really hope I don' live to regret this.'_

"Draco…?"

"Yes?"

"I'd like to try and be friends with you." She said sincerely.

He turned to her and smiled a sincere smile then turned his attention back to the road.

Within a few minutes Draco parked in front of an all night dinner/dance club simply called _Jekyll_. After he had gotten out he walked over to Hermione's door, opened it and held out his hand to help her out.

Draco led Hermione through the double doors and asked the hostess for a table for two. She led them to a secluded table in the rear of the club, where they could be alone but still have excellent access to the dance floor.

"A waiter will be over shortly to take your order." She said, and then walked away.

As soon as she left a tall, skinny brunette in a tight black dress walked up to Draco and sat in his lap.

"Drakeeeyyy" she cooed "Why haven't I seen you since that wonderful night we spent together. Where have you been hiding? And who is _she_?" she asked, throwing Hermione a look of disdain.

"Cara…" Draco rolled his eyes, but she seemed to take no notice. "I've been around and that's Hermione, she's a friend of mine." Cara giggled uncontrollably and Draco kept throwing Hermione pleading looks that seemed to say 'GET HER THE HELL OFF OF ME!' After a few more minutes of Cara ignoring Hermione and fawning over Draco, which had Hermione trying to suppress a fit of giggles, she decided to put Draco out of his misery.

"Oh Cara…"

"Yes Harmony?" she said never taking her eyes off of Draco.

"It's Her-mi-o-ne…and anyway, that guy over at the bar has been staring at you for the last ten minutes."

At that Cara jumped up and started looking around wildly.

"WHERE, WHERE?!"

"Over there…in the black beater."

"OOO, hello mister hottie! Look Draco, I'll see you around."

Then she left without as much as a fleeting glance at either Draco or Hermione.

"Thanks, she really is an airhead."

"Is that a common occurrence for you? I mean random girls throwing themselves at you?"

"Well, I don't mean I'm oversexed or anything like that…but I am quite sexy" he replied wiggling his eyebrows. (A/n: I'll name a character after you if you can tell me what book that line came from.)

Hermione rolled her eyes and laughed. They enjoyed a fine meal of the house specialty, steak and kidney pie, and decided to dance. Draco had to admit Hermione was a good dancer. She was no Isadora Duncan but she wasn't Goyle either. Hermione had almost the same thoughts about Draco, except she was comparing him to Harry and his horrible dance skills (or lack thereof). She knew that he was a fine ballroom dancer; they had been forced to dance at all the balls during seventh year because as prefects, they had to set an example for the other houses, but she didn't know that he could dance like that. Honestly she didn't know that he could even be that care free. Before they knew it, it was seven in the morning and Hermione asked Draco to take her home. They left _Jekyll_ together after a most interesting night…err…morning.

"Bye Draco."

"Bye Mione."

Hermione walked up to her apartment humming a song from the club. She unlocked her door and walked into her bedroom. She transfigured her robes into pajamas and fell into bed. She had just fallen asleep when a distinct tapping came from the window. Sleepily, she got up and walked to the window and opened it. An owl flew in and dropped a red envelope into her hands, then flew back out.

With trembling hands she opened the howler. It immediately to the form of a mouth and screamed at her in a deep voice.

"STAY OFF THE CARROWAY CASE IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU!" with that the howler tore itself up and disintegrated in a burst of flames.

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_**Teaser: Now Hermione and Draco are friends. What will develop between them? Who sent the howler? What will they do if Hermione stays on the case? Find out in the next exciting chapter of The Crime of Passion**_

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**Read and Review. No new chapter till I get at least 5 reviews. That's reasonable isn't it? I mean more than 5 of you have this story on your alert/favorite list. And I'm still looking for a Beta.  
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	4. Chapter Three: Of Dining & Death Threats

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**Chapter Three: Of Dining and Death Threats  
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To say that Hermione was shaken would have been an understatement. This was understandable; after all, just two weeks prior to this message she was getting howlers daily screeching at her to retire from the ministry lest she wish to suffer a horrible death. The howlers had stopped two weeks ago but Hermione was still on edge. Her face flushed and she went to her bedside end table and picked up her cell phone. She dialed Harry's number and waited impatiently as ring after ring passed before he picked up. 

"Ministry of Magic, Harry Potter speaking…I mean…This is Harry…"

Despite her current state she chuckled softly, then sobered

"Harry, it's me Mione, it's happened again."

"What? No sorry I can't sell you a fountain pen."

"HARRY! I got another howler!"

If anything, that got him wide awake.

"Huh?! Mione! When?!"

"Just now…It sounded like the same person that sent the other ones."

"I'm apparating over right now!"

Before Hermione could protest, Harry had hung up and she heard a loud pop come from kitchen. She rushed out and found Harry, still in his pajamas staring groggily back at her.

"Harry, you didn't have to come."

"Mione' we've been through this. We may not be dating anymore, but I still care about you…I don't want to see you hurt! Of course I had to come over."

Hermione sighed. She and Harry had dated since the end of their seventh year up until they got out of training. In the end, they decided that they were better off as friends. Since then, Hermione knew that Harry had developed feelings for another friend but he was just too shy to make his move.

"I appreciate it Harry, really I do."

"What time did you get home anyway? Ginny said Draco drove you home shortly after Ron and I left."

"He did, but we didn't go straight home."

"What? Where did you go then?"

"We went to an all night club and had dinner…or I guess I should say breakfast."

"Well, I never thought I'd see the day you two went out together."

"Harry, we did not go out. We were both hungry so we went to eat…and maybe we danced a little too."

"Oh yes Hermione, that really isn't considered a date." he said flashing her a mischevious grin.

"Oh shut up before I make you The-Boy-Who-Lived-to-Die-at-the-hands-of-his-best-friend." she said returning the grin.

Harry put on his best "deer in the headlights" face and proclaimed

"Oh no, Hermione is gunna get me!"

Hermione playfully slapped him on the shoulder and motioned for him to follow her into the living room.

"You know Harry; it's just like you to apparate into my kitchen."

Harry grinned cheekily, plopped onto the couch and patted the seat right next to him. Hermione sat next to him and switched on her 54" plasma TV. They sat there for a while watching an old movie on HBO and eventually fell asleep with Hermione's head resting on Harry's shoulder and his arm draped around her.

Around noon they were awakened by Hermione's ringing cell phone. Harry removed his arm and Hermione got up to take the call. It was Luna Lovegood, Hermione's secretary.

"Mione, where are you!"

"What?" Hermione answered groggily

"Jessica Carroway is here at your office and so is Draco Malfoy. You were supposed to meet Jessica for her interview at 11:45!"

"Oh my God, Luna…I'm so sorry! I guess I forgot to set my alarm when Harry and I fell asleep."

"Harry?"

"Yeah, I'll explain when I get down there…Oh Lun, why is Draco there? I didn't schedule to talk to him."

Luna giggled then whispered into the phone as if Draco was standing right next to her.

"He says you two have a lunch _date_"

Hermione had totally forgotten; she and Draco had decided to go out to lunch today to get to know each other. Thinking back on it, she wondered why she had agreed to the date.

"Oh yeah, I guess I'll explain that later too. See you in a few Lun."

"Bye"

_-Click-_

With that Hermione turned to Harry and explained the situation. He nodded and apparated back home while Hermione got dressed in a new set of robes and washed her face. Five minutes later she apparated to her office.

Luna was sitting at her desk when Hermione walked in 30 minutes late for her appointment.

"Luna, where is Ms. Carroway?" asked Hermione

"Well…" started Luna in her dreamy tone "she was quite hysterical when she came in here. She sat down for about 10 minutes in your office when she suddenly proclaimed that she had to leave and that she would owl you later to reschedule her appointment. She kept apologizing profusely while blowing her nose…"

"Oh dear…well, I guess it's my fault. I should have set my alarm."

"Well, Mione, someone else is here and HE didn't leave…" said Luna grinning widely. Hermione felt blood rush to her cheeks. As if on cue she heard someone step up behind her.

"Hey Mione."

Hermione turned around when she heard the deep voice behind her…there was Draco wearing a business suit with an emerald green tie and looking very good.

"Oh, hello Draco…I suppose now that my only appointment this morning just walked out on me, that we can go to lunch now. Luna will you hold my owls?"

Luna nodded, still grinning and went back to sit at her desk. Draco walked over to Hermione and offered her his arm. They walked down to Draco's car and once again he opened her door before sliding in himself.

"So where are we off to?" asked Hermione.

"Le Petite Café, Blaise owns it."

"Blaise?"

"Yeah, he bought it as a tax deduction, but now he actually loves the place."

"Well, who would've thought?"

The drive to the café was relatively short and within ten minutes they were there. Draco once again held the door open for Hermione as she stepped out of the car and together they made their way to the door of the charming bistro. Draco walked up to the host stand and was greeted by a tall olive skinned man with an Italian accent and sporting a name tag that said _Adamo_.

"Mr. Malfoy! What a pleasure to have you here again. May I take you to your normal table?"

Draco nodded and discreetly 'ahemed' in Hermione's direction.

"OHHH! And your guest, if I'm not mistaken the lovely Hermione Granger, the sole reason crime rates in England have plummeted?" added Adamo planting a kiss on the hand Hermione had proffered. She smiled and nodded, a prominent blush coming to her cheeks.

Adamo immediately dropped her hand and led the pair to a secluded corner of the bistro where they could enjoy their meal in peace. He left, saying that a waiter would be along shortly to take their orders. Promptly a tall brunette wearing an apron and carrying a notepad walked up to their table. Immediately Hermione's mind clicked with recognition.

"KRISTIN!"

The waitress looked at Hermione for a moment before recognition dawned on her as well.

"HERMIONE! OH MY GOSH, I haven's seen you since lower school!"

"I know, well, as you know I went off to boarding school."

"Yeah, so did I!"

"But Kris, why are you working at this restaurant, in THIS part of London?"

"Mione, you didn't know?" seeing the puzzled look on Hermione's face she continued, "I'm a witch."

"REALLY? Why didn't you go to Hogwarts with me?"

"Well, I got my letter at what I'm assuming is the same time you did, but my mother went to Beauxbatons when she was younger so I went there instead. You see, my mom is a witch, a pureblood. But my dad is a squib and my mom was disowned and lost her powers when she decided to be with my dad."

"Oh" -ahem- "OH! Kris, this is Draco. Draco, this is Kris, we went to lower school together."

"Oh, I know him, he's Mr. Zabini's friend. Hello Mr. Malfoy."

"Draco, please." he said extending his hand and Kris took it.

"Well, what can I get for you two this afternoon?"

"Well Draco, since I've never been here what do you suggest?"

"Well, I always get the fettuccini alfredo and a glass of red wine, but that's just me."

"Hmm, alright I'll have that then."

"And I'll have the same."

"Alright, it'll be about fifteen minutes, and Mione, give me a call sometime and we can catch up." Kris wrote her number on a blank page in her notebook, tore it out and handed it to Hermione who took it and nodded.

Fifteen minutes later the two plates set out on the table filled with food and the glasses filled with wine, much like they did back at Hogwarts. The two began to eat in silence. After about fifteen minutes of eating and sparse conversation, mostly due to the fact that the food was so delicious that the pair continually had their mouths full, they were waiting for dessert and Draco restarted the conversation.

"So, any new leads on the case?"

"Well, considering that Jessica Carroway stormed out of my office in an emotional whirlwind, I'd say not. And I'd rather not talk about that…I don't mix business with pleasure."

"So, this is pleasurable for you?" he asked with a smirk.

"Oh, you know what I mean."

Just then, two slices of devil's food cake appeared on their plates and they dug in. Another five minutes later the conversation really got going.

"Mmm, that food was absolutely delicious. I've got to say Blaise sure picked a good cook."

"Yup, Blaise only settles for the best when he's paying. Just like me."

"I see. So, Blaise has his beloved restaurant. What do you have? Malfoy Industries?"

"Well, yes, there's that but that's more of an obligation I have to fulfill. Not something I can put much heart in to."

Hermione gave him a skeptical look.

"Don't look at me like that. Don't get me wrong I enjoy being the tyrannical power hungry executive, but I'd much rather be sailing around Europe on my yacht."

He was met yet again with a skeptical face.

"Okay, Ms. Auror Extraordinaire. What do you consider your passion? The Library?"

"Don't be ridiculous Draco. I love to read but it's not all I like to do."

This time it was Draco's turn to look skeptical.

"Whatever you say. What DO you like to do then?"

"Well, since you asked, I like to shop. I guess you could say I'm addicted to retail."

"HAHA, YEAH RIGHT. YOU ARE ADDICTED TO SHOPPING!" Draco exclaimed, garnering the attention of half the restaurant.

Hermione felt a blush rise to her cheeks as she glared at him half heartedly and nodded.

"Ok, sorry, everyone go back to your lunches. And you Hermione, tell me. what do you love to buy?" he asked with a glint in his eyes.

"Well, if you must know, I have taken a liking to designer accessories. I love Coach and Prada."

Draco looked to the back of her chair where Hermione had hung her purse and sure enough, there was a black Coach signature purse hanging there. His eyes also strayed to Hermione's sunglasses which were perched on her head and sure enough, they too bore Coach's signature logo. At this revelation he broke into a new burst of snickers.

"Well, Malfoy, I think you've had enough of a laugh at my expense."

"Ahem, hah, yes. I guess so." But his serious expression did not reach his eyes and he burst out laughing again.

"Oh, I give up." Hermione sat there sulking until Draco finally stopped laughing.

"Okay and why pray tell was that SO hilarious?"

"Because Granger, THE Gryffindor bookworm, the same girl who used to spend 4 hours a night in the library before we started rounds, the girl who back at Hogwarts couldn't tell the difference between Madame Malkin's and Malted milk balls" -snort from Hermione- "is now a designer junkie."

"I fail to see the humor."

"Well, then I guess it's lost on you."

Just as Hermione was about to reply with a comment of her own, something involving an incident in seventh year when she had accidentally used his very expensive shampoo by accident in the prefects bathroom and he had just about had a heart attack, her cell phone went off and she picked up.

"Hello?...Yes, this is she. Wh..wh...who is this? My WHAT? But he's n... Hello? HELLO!" -click-

Hermione sat there looking petrified while Draco looked worried.

"Hermione, what happened? What's wrong?"

"Nothing Draco, uhm, would you mind taking me back to my office now? I have something I need to do." She smiled a smile that did not quite make it to her eyes which were fearful and alert.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little stressed. That's all. I get this way when a big case starts."

"Who was that on the phone?"

Hermione sighed.

"Okay, I'll tell you, but let's get out of here. I don't need anyone over hearing this."

Draco nodded and motioned for the check to be delivered. It immediately popped onto the table with a quill and ink. He checked the box labeled "Add to Tab" and signed his name, he also dropped a few galleons for Kris' tip and they walked out. As soon as the valet brought the car around and they had left, Draco asked Hermione what was going on.

"Draco, do you remember reading about the Christine Russell homicide in the papers?"

"Yea, she was that healer who was found murdered and mutilated in Knockturn Alley. You solved that case didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. Well shortly after I had taken on the case I started getting howlers and phone calls. The voice was always the same but he used different accents or he'd pretend to have a speech impediment so we'd never know what he really sounded like. Well, he started threatening me. He said that if I stayed on this case I would not live long enough to regret it."

"Wow."

"Yes well, of course I couldn't back down. I mean I faced Voldemort with Harry, a disgruntled psychopath was the least of my worries. I continued on the case and as you know, I solved it. However, the calls and howlers didn't stop. After a while I just started to ignore them and not pick up my phone but then, something happened..." She stopped, a look of pain coming across her face.

"What happened?" Draco asked as he turned onto the street Hermione's office was on.

"Well, I got home the day after the case was officially closed. I had just been to muggle London to visit my parents and go shopping with my mum..." she allowed Draco the opportunity to smirk at her before continuing on with her story. "Well I unlocked the door and my flat was a mess. The TV was smashed in, the kitchen was a mess. My bedroom was completely torn apart and several pieces if my lingerie and some very valuable personal items were stolen. I was disturbed but I called the ministry and they down body guards to protect me...actually, they sent Harry and Ron, but you get the point."

"Why didn't anyone know about this?"

"Well, obviously I couldn't let the person who did this know they had affected me so much so we kept it a secret. Eventually, the harassment stopped but then when I got home last night I got another Howler. From the same man. He warned me to stay off the Carroway case. Then he called...just now, in the restaurant."

"Hermione, I can understand why you're upset but, you're one of the most skilled witches in the country if not the world, and tell anyone I admitted that to you and I'll lie like a dog," she smiled "...so why on earth would such petty threats scare you?"

"Because Draco...he's aren't threatening me this time."

"What? Who is he threatening?"

"..."

"Hermione?"

"You.."

"What!?" Draco immediately pulled over and demanded an explanation.

"Well, uhm, apparently...that person was following me a little more closely than we had originally thought. He saw us last night at _Jekyll_. He uhm, assumed you were my boyfriend and well...here you listen, my phone has a call recorder on it."

Hermione took out her cell phone and pressed a few buttons before turning on the speaker phone. Suddenly Hermione's voice came on along with a man with a nasally crackly voice whom Draco did not recognize.

"_Hello?"_

"_Hermione Granger?"_

"_Yes, this is she."_

"_Hello, haven't talked to you in a while. I trust you got my howler last night? If not, I can always send another one."_

"_Wh..wh...who is this?"_

"_You stupid girl. You don't remember me? I'm hurt, and here I was thinking I'd made a lasting impression on you. Well...I'll just try harder this time, maybe I'll go after you're new boyfriend."_

"_My WHAT?"_

"_Oh don't try to protect him babe, I saw you dancing with him at Jekyll last night.Tall, blonde hair, nice clothes.He's cute. Too bad you won't get to appreciate his looks for much longer. Bye __Hermione__, you'll be hearing from me again soon unless you get off the Carroway case."_

"_But he's n..."_

_-click-_

"_Hello? HELLO?"_

The recording shut off and left an eerie silence in its wake. That is, until Draco got his wits back.

"DAMNIT, I KNEW BEING NICE TO YOU WAS A BAD IDEA! HERE I AM TRYING TO BE A NICE GUY, I CURED YOUR MIGRANE,I BOUGHT YOU DINNER, I DANCED WITH YOU, I TOOK YOU HOME AND HOW AM I REPAID? **A DEATH THREAT!**"

Hermione just sat there during his tirade and flinched at his insane arm movements and gestures.

"Draco...?" she said in a very small voice, afraid of setting off another episode.

"What?" he growled.

"I'm sorry, but I think of know of a way to fix this."

"Me too. I throw you out of my car and we forget I was ever nice to you."

Hermione flinched at his words and nodded before opening her car door and starting down the street towards her office.

"Oh bloody hell."

He caught up to her and rolled down the passenger side window.

"Granger, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Well _Malfoy_ if you're so angry at me for making you the target of a death threat then I might as well just leave you alone. I will be calling you if I need any information about Ms. Carroway, other than that you won't be bothered by me anymore." she said, her eyes glistening with tears she refused to allow to fall.

"Granger, stop being stupid, I'm just upset. No need to go and get your knickers in a bunch. Now get in the car, I'll take you back to your office and TOGETHER, we will find a way out of this mess you've gotten me into." Then he smirked and added, "Besides, I don't think you'd want to leave _this_ behind."

He held up her beloved black Coach purse.

She gasped and ran back to the car, opened the door and grabbed her purse. Then realizing what she was doing and that she must look like a crazy person, she sat down and grinned at him sheepishly.

"Well, lets go then..."

He smirked one last time and they drove the rest of the way back to Hermione's office.

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_**Teaser:**_**Draco is Hermione's boyfriend! How will they get out of this mess? Who is the mysterious caller? What's up with Cecilia's loved ones? All that in the next installment of **_**The Crime of Passion.**_

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**AN: Sorry for the wait. Blame AP classes ( 5 of them). Thanks to my beta Trignifty for your suggestions and encouragement. Thanks for the Reviews. Please keep reviewing. No new chapter till I get five reviews. You know the deal. If I'm blowing off APs for this, then there had better be a reason.**

**P.S. The entire murder/investigation/discovery is planned (and only my lucky beta gets to know what's going on. You all had your chances lol). Now all that needs to be done is figure out how to get Hermione and Draco to live happily ever after. Wish me luck. **

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	5. Chapter Four: Number 1 vs Number 11

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**Chapter Seven: Number One vs. Number Eleven**

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Hermione and Draco walked through the Department of Law Enforcement building and finally reached Hermione's office suite on the top floor. The pair walked through her foyer and said a brisk hello to Luna in her office before walking to Hermione's private office. Suddenly, Hermione stopped and called out to Luna.

'Luna, please hold all my owls unless any are from Harry, Ron, Pansy or anyone involving the Carroway case.'

'Uh huh.' Replied Luna with a glazed over look on her face.

Hermione rolled her eyes but she had a smile on her face. She had grown used to Luna's looniness and had grown to appreciate how efficient the girl could be if you gave her the chance.

She and Draco finally walked into Hermione's spacious office. Surprisingly, it looked a lot like Draco's with a rich cherry desk and brand new mug/wiz technology. She pointed him towards a well upholstered armchair and situated herself behind the behemoth desk.

"So what do you suppose we do Sherlock?" asked Draco indignantly.

"Well, YOU can drop that snotty tone. It's not like I did this on purpose."

"Well guess what Hermy," Hermione cringed at his choice of nickname and he smirked, "I AM involved now, so I am entitled to react however I see fit."

"Whatever, you big baby…"

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"Nothing, nothing…now what do we do?"

"Well obviously, we convince this psychopath that I am in NO WAY romantically involved with you."

"Well, DUH, but how? Anything we try now would just make him think we're plotting just to keep you safe."

"But it's the truth!!"

"Well, anyone with half a brain would know that. I mean, YOU AND ME?! I would have to be very drunk to actually agree to be your girlfriend."

"EXCUSE ME?! I'll have you know that I was named Witch Weekly's number one most eligible bachelor for the third year in a row."

"Yes, they will erect monuments in your honor, but that won't get you anywhere with me." She replied with a smirk.

He put on a pouty face but offered no more comment.

"Well, I say that the best thing for you to do is take an extended vacation. Somewhere remote but close enough that I would still be able to contact you in case there is a breakthrough in the case that you need to know about."

"Out of the question." He stated simply.

"What why? This is your life at stake."

"I am aware of that Hermione, but Malfoy Industries is just about to close a major deal with Wizzcorp. I need to be here in order to close the deal officially. This could mean more money for me and I am not going to let it slip through my fingers just because some psycho thinks I am your boy toy."

"Fine, fine, no leaving the country. But that means we still need a plan."

"What if we just stop seeing each other?"

"All together?"

"Yes Granger, I know it will be hard for you to not gaze upon my godlike features for an extended period of time, but you'll just have to satisfy your urges in other ways. Perhaps Weasley could help you out there. I mean, he's no me, but he's readily available." He answered with a smirk.

Hermione glared daggers at him.

"Alright, Mr. I Am an All Important Executive Playboy, that plan would not work because our psycho is not an idiot. He pulled the same threat on Harry last time. Harry and I didn't so much as glance at each other for two weeks and the guy still managed to send HIM threatening messages, taunting him about how unfortunate it was that he picked me to uhm…well "bang" was his choice of wording."

Draco smirked, and then assumed a look of disgust. "Wait, so he thinks I'm banging you?"

Now it was Hermione's turn to look indignant.

"Excuse me, world famous witch detective with not so bad looks, right here. If you forgot, Witch Weekly didn't exactly leave ME off their bachelorette list."

"Hermione please, you were number 11, nowhere near number 1."

"AH HAH! But you admit you saw me on the list."

"Alright Hermy, I saw you on the list. Now can we please get on with how to save my precious life?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "you started it" but decided to end the ridiculous debate and get back to business.

"Fine, so you disappearing, and us avoiding each other are both out. I think the only thing to do is to go on as if nothing has happened. We can't let this guy run our lives. We just have to prove that we're above the threats. Anyway, that's what worked last time. Who's to say it won't work again?"

Draco seemed to contemplate this option for a moment and then nodded his head.

"Well, that does seem to be our best option, but I want a team of aurors investigating this stalker, I am an upstanding citizen in the Wizarding world and I deserve the best."

"Of course, Your Majesty." At that, Hermione stood up out of her chair and curtsied.

"Well Hermione, I guess you'll be blessed with this face for an extended period. Enjoy."

At this point he assumed a pose akin to that of a Greek god statue and Hermione feigned a gagging reaction. The two started laughing. Suddenly they heard a knock at the door and Luna's voice coming through the thick wood.

"Hermione, Harry, Ron and the rest of the dream team are here."

Hermione rolled her eyes again as Malfoy cocked an eyebrow.

"She really needs to stop referring to us as the dream team." She chuckled.

Hermione walked over to her door and allowed Harry, Ron, Pansy and Ginny to enter the room. After all the appropriate greetings were exchanged and the appropriate number of chairs were conjured, the group of six were situated around Hermione's desk and getting ready to discuss the case.

"Hermione, should Draco really be allowed in here for this?" asked Ron.

"Oh, you're right. I'm sorry Draco, but you'll have to leave. Do you need me to see you out?"

Draco shook his head and stood to leave but at the last moment he motioned to Hermione to follow him out the door. Once they were in the foyer once again and out of hearing range Draco spoke freely.

"And what am I to do about my, erm…situation?"

Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment then came up with a quick idea.

"These meetings usually last about 45 minutes. They're just briefings to get caught up on all the details of the case we are working on at the current moment. Would you be willing to wait for me till then?"

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I can't get a body guard here right now and I don't want you out there unprotected."

"Hermione, while I appreciate the sentiment, I'm 22 years old and a full grown wizard. I think I'm old enough to take care of myself."

"Yes, well that may be Draco but you clearly aren't aware of what this psycho is capable of. Do you remember a few months ago when Harry was out of commission for a week?"

"Yes."

"Well, don't tell him I told you this, but… He was attacked. We don't know who did it, but he was assaulted in Diagon Alley and dragged across the way into Knockturn Alley. There someone administered a powerful potion to him and the effects were disastrous. He wasn't able to even regain consciousness for a day and a half. Now, I have no doubt that both of you could hold your own in a duel, for goodness' sake Harry defeated Voldemort, but I'd still feel better if you weren't alone."

Draco bent close to Hermione's ear and whispered "And do you think you're going to protect me Hermione?"

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as his breath tickled the sensitive skin and she shivered a little. She felt her cheeks turn crimson with heat. Draco pulled away and smirked. He walked over to one of the chairs that lined the attractive foyer and sat down.

"You have forty five minutes and then I'm out of here, with or without you." With that he conjured a laptop and began typing away.

Hermione turned and walked back to her office, all the while, thoughts were racing through her head involving a certain infuriating yet strangely alluring blonde.

Hermione walked back into her office and faced questioning stares from four sets of eyes.

"Hermione, what was HE doing here?" asked Harry with a twinkle in his green eyes.

"Erm, we just had to talk a few things over concerning…the case."

The others exchanged smirks but they said nothing more about Draco. Hermione walked around her desk and settled into her comfortable chair, still feeling a little flustered from her recent encounter.

"So," she said "do we have any new details on the case?" asked Hermione.

"Well, I just canvassed the area around the Malfoy Industries building and I couldn't find anything suspicious. The entire area was immaculate." Said Pansy.

"Are you sure that you couldn't find anything Pans?"

"I went with her and we couldn't find anything." Added Harry. "We even interviewed a few of the night watchmen. None of them remembered seeing anything suspicious."

"Well, then that doesn't leave us very many leads. My interview with Jessica was a no go. She left before I even got here."

The room was silent for a few seconds until Ginny finally spoke up.

"Well, as I was escorting Todd out this morning he kept muttering things under his breath. It sounded like he was saying "why didn't I listen to her? Why didn't I just put an end to it?"'.

"Gin, do you have any idea what he was talking about?"

"Sorry Hermione, but I had no idea. I thought it sounded suspicious but I didn't have the heart to ask him what he meant. It was like he was off in his own little world."

"I see, well, I think that Todd will be the next person on my list of interviewees, after Jessica of course. Oh, which reminds me."

Hermione reached across her desk and picked up the receiver of her shiny black high-tech phone. She pressed one of the buttons and started talking.

"Luna, could you please get me Jessica Carroway on the phone? … She didn't leave one? … Well, is there any way for me to reach her? … I see. … Thanks Lun.'

Everyone looked at Hermione expectantly.

"Well, Luna says that Jessica didn't leave a phone number. She just stormed out this morning with nothing but a quick "sorry" and snotty nose blow." Hermione sighed. "I guess I'll just have to owl her. I'll take care of that later."

Ron, who had been silent up until that point finally spoke up.

"So Hermione, what do we do about Draco and Blaise?"

"What about them?"

"Well, they ARE still suspects."

"I don't know Ron, I know they are but do you really think they're capable of that?"

"I don't know, but we can't rule them out yet."

"You're right. We need to get alibis for them. Pansy, would you mind talking to Blaise for me?'

"No problem. What about Malfoy?"

"I'll take care of him myself."

Everyone in the room shot her knowing glances.

"Don't look at me like that guys. We're friends. That's it.' She was turning red and she resented herself for being unable to control her body's reactions.

"Oh come on Mione, you can't tell me that you don't think he's the least bit tasty looking."

"GINNY!! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOU TALKING ABOUT HIM LIKE THAT!!"

"Sorry Ron, but it's true. Isn't it Hermione?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and tried desperately to get her cheeks to return to their normal color.

"ANYWAY, there's still the matter of the official autopsy. Where are we on that?"

Ron answered her. "When we dropped her off at St. Mungo's they were pretty busy. We haven't gotten any official notice yet."

"Can you check up on that Ron?"

He nodded.

After about another half hour of discussing case details the group decided to call it a day.

"So, for now I think that's all we have to go over. If there are any new developments that you guys should know about or if I hear anything from Jessica or Todd, I'll let you know right away."

They all nodded and Harry and Ron left on other business. Only Pansy and Ginny were left with Hermione and they didn't waste any time starting to grill Hermione about Draco.

"So, where did you two disappear to last night?" asked Pansy

"Oh Pans, we just went to go get a bite to eat then he took me home."

"Oh so you didn't fall asleep in his arms." She asked playfully.

"Well actually Pans, if you really want to know, I fell asleep in Harry's arms."

Pansy turned tomato red and her jaw dropped. "I THOUGHT YOU TWO WERE JUST FRIENDS."

Hermione and Ginny exchanged a look and burst out laughing.

"Oh Merlin Pans, he came over because I got a howler and we fell asleep on the couch watching My Fair Lady. Oh the look on your face."

Pansy looked like Hermione had just punched her in the stomach and for a few seconds Hermione was scared she had actually gone too far. Just as Hermione was going to apologize, Pansy burst out laughing.

"Hermione, you absolutely, for lack of a better word SUCK."

All three girls started laughing uproariously until Ginny (who had dated Harry for a month in his 7th year before he and Hermione had gotten together) spoke up.

"So Pans, when are you finally going to join the, I've dated Harry Potter Club?"

"Oh come on guys, he doesn't like me like he liked the two of you."

"Bullocks. You two are just clueless when it comes to reading the other's emotions. Just do us all a favor and get married and have pretty babies." Said Ginny.

Once again Pansy turned beet red and started sputtering. Finally Ginny decided to put her out of her misery. She grabbed Pansy's arm, said a quick goodbye to Hermione and waved Pansy's hand for her. Still in a fit of giggles, Ginny and Pansy left the room.

After they had gone, Hermione remembered that Draco was still out in the foyer waiting for her, or at least, she hoped that he was. She walked out into the foyer and was relieved to find that he was still there typing away on his laptop. He seemed fully engrossed in what he was doing so she decided to sneak up on him.

She crept up quietly and just as she was about to launch out at him he, without even looking up from his computer, said, "I hope you don't think that THAT pathetic attempt at exhibiting your ninja skills, or lack thereof, was not meant to scare me."

"Oh, you're no fun."

He closed his laptop, wanded it away and stood up.

"So Ms. Granger, where are we off to now?"

"Well Mr. Malfoy, seeing as how its only 4 o'clock and too early for dinner, I think we should go into muggle London. That is if there isn't some pressing matter you have to take care of."

"Well, I was supposed to go eat with Blaise and his flavor of the week girl, but she's a complete bore. So, I'm ditching them. Why muggle London?"

"Well, before this case came along I had been planning to go into Muggle London since last week. I wanted to go have dinner with my parents…and…"

"And…?"

"Oh, fine, there's a sale at Prada today and I really want to go. Happy?"

"Supremely. Well, I say we get going then.' He offered her his arm and she looped hers through. Together, they called goodbye to Luna and walked out of the building in the direction of London.

Hermione and Draco made their way down the street to the barrier leading to muggle London. Hermione's mind was spinning with thoughts of her current case. She was also preoccupied with how to get her psycho stalker off her back, not to mention Draco's. The couple made their way to the brick wall that separated their section of London with the muggle section. Hermione took her wand and tapped on several of the bricks and stepped back as the bricks unfold to expose an archway. The two walked through the arch and Draco, seeing as how he hardly ever ventured past the brick wall, allowed Hermione to guide him through the busy streets of downtown. Finally, they reached a street lined with many expensive looking shops. Draco read the names on the signs out loud while wearing a look of vague approval.

"Fendi, Burberry, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Prada…? Granger, I never expected you to have such high tastes."

Hermione blushed but dragged him over the store with the Prada moniker over the door. He wandered over the men's section and was checking out shoes while Hermione seemed to lose all control and walked 

around with a salesgirl who seemed to be very familiar with her. Hermione was pointing out different items while the girl fervently wrote down her request in a leather bound ledger. Once he had bought himself a new stylish pair of leather lace ups with the stash of muggle money he kept stored in his wallet, Draco strolled over to the women's section and watched with an amused expression as Hermione continued on her spree.

"That leather hobo bag over there, but in black please. Oh, and those boots on the shelf, do they come in dark blue? They do? Amazing, I'll take those too."

After fifteen more minutes of watching Hermione shop, Draco walked over to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Huh? Oh, hey Draco…Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away huh?"

"Well Hermy, I think you bought half the store. Are you ready to go now?"

"Yes, they just need to wrap everything up then we can go."

Draco gave her a halfhearted glare but stayed by her side as she waited for her bags. Her grand total came out to ten purchases and nine bags which somehow found their way into Draco's arms. Hermione paid the saleswoman with a check and led Draco out of the store. All the while he was straining to carry the bags while muttering things like 'Damn women, shopaholics' under his breath.

"Well, where are we off to now master?" he asked Hermione while shifting her many bags on his arm.

"Well, it's 5:30 and my parents expect me at 6 so I suppose we should get going over there."

He nodded but couldn't stand carrying the bags any further.

"Granger, I am agreeing to go eat dinner with your muggle parents, I accompanied you to your sale, and I am putting my life at risk by just being with you. Now would YOU please do me the honor of TAKING YOUR OWN BAGS?!"

Hermione grinned sheepishly and nodded. She led him into an alley and pulled out her wand. She pointed it at her packages and sent them back to her apartment.

"Sorry about that, I sometimes don't think clearly when I'm coming off a shopping high." She said grinning while fighting the blush on her cheeks.

"Whatever Hermy, you're just lucky you have such a robust guy like me to help you carry all your…necessities."

She swatted him on the arm and they walked out of the alley and hailed a cab. Hermione asked the driver to drop them off about a mile from her home, explaining to Draco that she wanted to show him something. The cab pulled to a stop at a curb bordering a park and Hermione reached into her purse for her wallet to pay the driver. Before she could reach her wallet Draco stilled her hand and handed the driver several notes, which included a generous tip. The driver smiled gratefully and the two walked out onto the sidewalk.

"You didn't really have to pay, I had enough."

"Hermy, you just spent I'm guessing about your next three paychecks on that little splurge of yours, I think you can let me pay a little cab fare."

She blushed again, she seemed to do that a lot around him. "It wasn't my next three paychecks. It was just half of my next one. And don't call me Hermy!! No one has called me that since I was 5."

They both laughed and started walking in the direction of Hermione's home.

"So, what is it that you wanted to show me _Hermy_?"

She rolled her eyes but led him into the park and down a path towards a beautiful fountain.

"This is where I used to come every summer after school and read or just hang out with my friends." She explained. "This is one of my favorite spots in the world."

"Uh huh, interesting." He didn't sound interested at all. "Are we going to head on our way now?"

Hermione tried to ignore the pang of annoyance and hurt that surged through her at his disregard for one of the most important spots she knew of.

"Yes, I suppose so. Let's go, it's this way." She said evenly.

For a second Draco felt a pang of guilt when he noticed Hermione's poorly disguised hurt expression, but before he could apologize she led him away from the fountain. He made a mental note to remember this spot and stored it somewhere in the back of his mind.

Hermione was quiet for a few minutes before Draco finally decided he had had enough of the awkward silence.

"Look Hermione, I'm sorry I didn't take more interest in your secret spot, but can you PLEASE stop giving me the freeze?" he asked in an irritated tone.

Hermione was about to retort when suddenly her phone went off. She assumed it was her parents calling to check if she was on her way and turned away from Draco to answer her cell phone.

"Hello…wh..wh..why are you calling me now?… What the hell do you want?… And what if I refuse?… No!…Why are you doing this to me, to him?…Don't you dare!…' A look of sheer dread crossed Hermione's face and Draco thought she was going to faint. 'You can't do that…But…HELLO?! HELLO?!"

Hermione wandered over to a nearby park bench and collapsed onto it. Draco worriedly rushed over to her. She was muttering incoherently.

"What the hell was that about?"

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**TEASER: So who was that on the phone? What did they want? What of Hermione's parents? Does Hermione's secret spot have any significance? Find out next time in the next chapter of _The Crime of Passion_.**

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**Author's Note: I'm really sorry this took so long. Apparently I really just...forgot about it. I got so busy with school and what not. But now I'm on vacation and I should be good to go. Since this update took freakishly long, I'll update again tomorrow. I promise.**

**Read and Review please.**


	6. Chapter Five: Spend the Night!

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**Chapter Five: Spend the Night?!**

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Hermione looked up at Draco with a look of resignation in her eyes. He was instantly worried. She handed him her phone and told him what buttons to press. He proceeded to do so and the conversation that Hermione had just had began to play out loud.

'Hello.'

'Have you missed me you filthy little bitch? Don't act so surprised to be hearing from me. I said I'd call again soon.'

'Wh…wh…why are you calling me now?'

'Wh…wh…wh…, oh come now, the most brilliant witch of her day can't put together a coherent sentence without stuttering? I thougt I could expect better from you.'

'What the hell do you want?'

'Are you thicker than everyone thinks? I've already told you that. I want you OFF the Niriye case. Is that understood?'

'And what if I refuse?'

'Well then hot little Drakie is going to get it.'

'No!'

'Oh, so I've found your weakness huh? Don't want to lose your little lover? Well, be prepared for the worse _Hermy_. That is what he calls you isn't it?'

'Why are you doing this to me, to him?'

'Well my filthy little _friend_ I wouldn't have to do anything if you would just get off the damn case. But…I suppose that if you really don't want your precious Draco hurt, then I could go after your parents. You are about to go have dinner with them aren't you?'

'Don't you DARE!!'

'Oh why not? It could be fun to watch them squirm.'

'You can't do that.'

'You'll just have to see what I can or can't do.'

'But.'

-click-

'Hello?! Hello?!'

The recording ended and Draco was trying very hard not to lose his composure. This was the second time today that he had had his life threatened by some psychotic idiot who insisted on sounding like a toad. He took a very deep breath and spoke softly to Hermione, which took great self-control.

'Hermione, what are we going to do about this. We can't let him get us.'

'Draco, I don't care about me. He threatened you! And worse yet, my parents!! Oh Merlin, we have to get over there now.' There were tears running down her face as she grabbed his hand and pulled him quickly in the direction of her house. As they were running she instructed him on what to do when he met her parents.

'Please don't mention any of this to them. They already worked themselves into a panic the last time this happened. I don't want them to worry anymore.'

Draco nodded, feeling too out of breath and worried for his own safety to be concerned about what Hermione's parents thought. After a few more minutes of running they were in front of Hermione's home. It was a two story redbrick home with a curving driveway and a large front lawn. Hermione was glad to see that it was still intact and she led Draco to the door. She composed herself and they both regained their breath. Hermione saw fit to give one last word of warning before she knocked on the door.

'Draco, my parents may ask some…err…questions…about our relationship…They are kind of quick to jump to conclusions. Please don't take offense. It's just the way they are.'

Draco felt it was time to lighten the mood. 'Great Granger, in addition to a psychopath going after me I have to deal with your overprotective parents dissecting every detail of our purely platonic relationship?' he asked with a small smirk.

She rolled her eyes but smiled gratefully at his attempt to lift her spirits. She knocked on the door and a few seconds later a woman who looked amazingly like Hermione opened it. She looked from Hermione to Draco with a critical stare then smiled and warmly embraced her daughter.

'RICHARD!! HERMIONE IS HERE! AND SHE'S BROUGHT A FRIEND.'

'I'll be right down love.'

'Come in, come in dear. And what is your name?' asked the woman as she ushered her daughter and her unexpected guest inside.

'Hello ma'am. I'm Draco Malfoy. Pleased to meet you.' He said extending his hand to her. She stared at it for a minute, a look of recognition crossing her face but shook it anyway. She turned to Hermione.

'Hermione love, dinner is ready. Will you come and help me get it out on the table?'

'Of course mum. Draco, why don't you have a seat in the living room. It's right through that door.'

Draco nodded and wandered off through the door that Hermione had pointed to. Once he was out of earshot Hermione's mom grabbed her arm and led her to the kitchen.

'Hermione, isn't that the ferret boy you were always so down on when you went to Hogwarts? The one that would call you filthy names?'

Hermione squirmed uncomfortably. 'Erm, yes mum, it is.'

'And what is he doing here, with you?'

'Well, we're friends now mum.'

Her mother raised a cynical eyebrow.

'Just friends mom. That's it.'

'Okay dear, I believe you. Now come help me bring in the food.'

Hermione took up a plate of roasted potatoes and followed her mom into the dining room. She could hear brief strains of a conversation coming from her living room and recognized one of the voices as her father and the other as Draco.

'So, Draco is it?'

'Yes sir.'

'So, are you and my daughter…involved?'

'Excuse me sir?' Draco asked shocked.

'Are you two dating son?'

'Errr…No sir. We're just friends.'

'Mhmmm. So what is it that you do for a living?'

'I am the head of one of the topmost wizarding corporations in England.'

'Well, I see you've done quite well for yourself.'

'Thank you.'

'Hermione is lucky to have a _friend_ like you.'

Draco shifted uncomfortably at the man's strange emphasis on the word friend but nodded anyway. He was relieved when he heard Mrs. Granger calling from another room to announce that dinner was being served.

Both men headed towards the Grangers' dining room and Draco situated himself across from Hermione while her father took his place at the head of the table across from Mrs. Granger. Soon they had started eating and were partaking in light conversation, but no matter how hard Hermione tried, the phone call she had just received was stuck in her mind and she was on high alert and very jumpy. Draco noticed this and tried to shoot her a comforting look but Hermione was too indulged in her inner thoughts to acknowledge him. Finally she was shaken out of her reverie.

'HERMIONE?!'

'What? Oh sorry mum, what were you saying?'

'I said, so what's going on at work? Any new and exciting cases.'

'Uhm, actually we just got one early this morning. A erm…colleague of Draco's was found murdered in her office.'

'Oh dear,' Hermione's mother shot at pitying look at Draco. 'I am so sorry for your loss. Was she a close friend of yours?'

'Uhm, she was my OWW!!' He felt a sharp pain in his shin where Hermione had just kicked him with her pointed boot.

'Erm, mom you know I'm not allowed to hand out details of a case until its solved. Draco can't either.'

'Oh, of course, you've told me before. I'm sorry dear. And in any case, I'm still sorry for your loss Draco.'

'Thank you ma'am'

The rest of the dinner went smoothly and Hermione's father got into a rousing conversation with Draco about the rules of Quidditch. Despite her heightened sense of security, Hermione found it amusing that Draco was twenty two years old and still spoke with the excitement of a first year when it came to Quidditch.

Finally after an hour of exchanging conversation and eating the delicious meal that Mrs. Granger had prepared, Hermione and Draco decided that it was time for them to leave.

'Bye mum, bye dad. Thanks for such a great night.'

'Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I really enjoyed myself.'

'No problem son.' Mr. Granger said as he extended a hand towards Draco and they shook. 'You're welcome at our house any time.' He turned to say goodbye to Hermione and Mrs. Granger went over to Draco and gave him a kind hug. He felt awkward as he embraced the woman and was relieved when she let go.

'Thank you for coming Draco, please come by anytime.' She turned to Hermione. 'Dear, you really should bring more men like him home, rather than that unintelligent fellow you brought home before. Oh, what was his name? Oh yeah, Krum.'

Draco smirked and Hermione turned bright red.

'MUM! Viktor was nice.'

'Hermione he could barely pronounce your name. Nice just doesn't cut it sometimes.'

'I couldn't have said it better myself Mrs. Granger.' Said Draco, earning himself a glare from Hermione. He took this as his cue to take her arm and lead her to the door. 'Well, goodbye again, and I would love to be back for another great meal. That is, if Hermione invites me again.'

Hermione turned around to take one last look at her parents. 'Bye mum, bye dad, I love you both so much.'

'We love you too Hermione. Please come by more often, your mother and I miss you so much when you don't come visit.'

'I promise, I will. Bye.'

'Bye'

'Bye'

Hermione and Draco made their way outside and she took one last look at her parent's home, her home, and said a little prayer for them to be safe. Draco saw the look of apprehension on her face and gave her shoulders a comforting squeeze.

'They'll be okay Hermione.'

'I hope so Draco.'

She once again took the arm he offered and they made their way back to the other side of the park to catch a cab. Once they had arrived back in the wizard section of London Hermione asked Draco if he wouldn't mind taking her home again. He nodded and they started the five minute 

walk to Hermione's office where Draco's car was waiting. They got in and Draco started off towards Hermione's flat.

'Draco, what do you think this guy meant when he said he'd go after my parents?'

'I honestly don't know Hermione, but I'm sure they'll be fine. He can't just go and attack them in the middle of muggle London. There's way too much risk of getting caught.'

'I guess you're right, but just in case, I think I'll call the auror department and have them send a few aurors to watch over them.'

Draco nodded and Hermione took out her cell phone. She dialed the number for Harry's office hoping that he and Ron had returned there after they had attended to their business.

After 3 rings she finally heard Harry pick up the phone. She breathed a sigh of relief as she heard his familiar voice.

'Office of Auror Management, Harry Potter speaking. How can I help you?'

'Harry, it's Hermione. Do you have any aurors on call right now that can go into Muggle London?'

'Yep, actually Ron, Pansy and I are scheduled tonight. Why?'

'Well…I got another call from you know who. He threatened not only me but my parents.'

'WHAT?! Hermione, do you want me to send Ron over there to protect you?'

'No, it's okay. Draco is here with me still.'

'Let me talk to him.'

'What?'

'Let me talk to him.'

'Erm…Okay, but you will go down and stake out my parent's home right?'

'Yes. Ron, Pansy and I will go apparate over there as soon as you let me talk to Draco.'

Hermione sighed but agreed and handed the phone over the Draco. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow as she thrust the phone in his face.

'What?'

'Harry wants to talk to you.'

'Why would Potter want to talk to me?'

'He just does. Take the phone.'

Draco sighed and took the phone while keeping one hand on the wheel.

'Hello?'

'Malfoy, do you have plans tonight?'

'What business is that of yours Potter?'

'Just tell me!'

'Well, since you asked so nicely, no, I don't.'

'Would you mind staying with Hermione tonight.' Draco could tell that Harry was having a difficult time asking his former enemy to spend the night with his best friend and despite his new attitude of civility, he couldn't help rubbing it in his face.

'Well Potter, you are asking a lot but I'm sure it would be possible for me to spend the night with her.'

Hermione's head, which had been pointed toward the window, jerked towards him and she mouthed 'what?!'. Draco shook his head and was about to continue talking when Hermione grabbed the phone from him, causing Draco to swerve slightly, glare at her and yell out a few inappropriate curses.

'Harry have you gone daft? Asking Draco to spend the night with me?!'

'You need protection Hermione.'

'Harry, you know I passed auror training too. I was second in the class in actual dueling after you and I came first in mixing potions!!'

'Hermione, I realize that but you remember what that guy did to ME and no offense but I've faced down much worse, remember that one wizard that just wouldn't die? Voldemort ring any bells? Please, just do this for me. It would make me feel a lot better.'

Hermione sighed but nodded in resignation. 'Okay Harry, just for you. Now, please, get down to my parent's house.'

'We're leaving right now Mione. Don't worry.'

Hermione hung up the phone and looked over at Draco who was smirking slightly.

'Well erm…do you mind staying the night?' she asked awkwardly.

Draco pretended to contemplate hard, even furrowing his brow. 'Well, it would be a huge sacrifice for me, but…I guess that could be arranged.'

Hermione rolled her eyes and swatted Draco in the arm. 'Must you always make things difficult?'

Draco grinned cheekily and nodded. The rest of the ride went quietly and at around 8:30, they were back at Hermione's flat.

'Uhm, would you mind taking the couch? I only have one bedroom.'

'Sure, or I could just climb in with you.' He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Hermione rolled her eyes and told him to wait while she got him a blanket and pillows for his _couch_.

Draco plopped down on Hermione's couch. He looked to his left and noticed all the bags filled with her purchases. He also remembered that his shoes were among them and made a mental note to retrieve them before he left. He turned on her TV and it was still set on the movie channel Hermione and Harry had been watching the night before. This time Breakfast at Tiffany's was playing. Hermione came over and placed a pillow and blanket on the arm of the couch. She noticed what was on TV and that Draco was about to change the channel.

'NO wait! Don't change it.'

'What? Why?'

'I love this movie and it hasn't been on in forever! Would you mind watching it?'

Draco looked at the TV and saw beautiful woman in a white bathrobe talking to a half naked man in bed. While the half naked man didn't thrill him too much he decided that he wouldn't mind staring at the woman for a while. He nodded to Hermione and she sat down next to him on the couch. He noticed that she left a good foot and a half between them.

'You know Hermione, I won't bite you and I don't have cooties.'

She looked at the gap between them and laughed awkwardly.

'Oh, well sorry.' She scooted a little closer so that there was still a good distance between and she grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her. Draco rolled his eyes but leaned against his couch arm and watched as the beautiful woman got into bed as the half naked man wrapped a protective arm around her. Hermione explained to him that the woman was Audrey Hepburn, a famous muggle actress and the man was George Peppard and that in this part of the movie their characters were "just friends". Draco nodded and they continued to watch the movie.

After about an hour the movie was winding down and Holly (Audrey's character for those not in the know) was searching for her cat in the rain drenched alley while Paul (George Peppard for those who don't know) watched. The movie finally ended with the famous scene of Audrey and George kissing in the rain with a drenched cat between them. But what was really a sight to see was Hermione Granger had collapsed in sleep onto Draco Malfoy's shoulder and he, completely awake had let his head come to rest on top of hers. Just as the movie ended, Draco heard Hermione cell phone ring from across the room and reluctantly woke her up. Her head jerked up and she blushed when she realized the position she was in.

'Erm, is the movie over?'

'Yeah…it was good. But your phone is ringing.' He noticed that her ringtone was the haunting Audrey Hepburn version of Moon River that he had just heard in the movie.

'Oh, I should go get that.'

Draco nodded and Hermione walked across the room to get her phone

'Hello? Oh hi Harry what's up.'

Hermione dropped the phone as Draco ran to catch her as she fainted.

Draco picked up her phone after he had caught her and laid her safely on the floor.

'POTTER WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!'

'It's about Hermione's parents...'

* * *

**Teaser: What happened to Hermione's parents? What does the psycho have in store for our favorite couple? What do Hermione's parents REALLY think about Draco?**

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**Author's Note: Oh come on people, NO REVIEWS?! I know this chapter was a long time coming but NO reviews? There were hits, just NO reviews. Not happy.**

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**Read AND Review Please.**


	7. IMPORTANT: READ THIS!

This isn't a real chapter. Sorry, but rest assured there are more chapters written. This note is important though. I know I've threatened to do this once before, but this time I'm actually serious. I'm completely removing this story in order to rework the beginning chapters to better accommodate the new ones I've written. I promise it will be better and it will be reposted once I've got a enough back up chapters to post regularly and they've been beta'd. That leads me to the main point of this note.

What I really need now is a beta. Anyone can offer, as long as you're decent at picking out grammar errors, etc. and can give me feedback on my plot ideas. If you're interested reply in a review or PM me. Whoever volunteers will mostly be asked to give me their opinions on my ideas, but you'll get all the chapters ahead of time so you can catch any errors I make. If I do end up working with you I'll let you know more of what I'm looking for.

I've made it my goal to at least finish writing, if not posting, this story by the end of August when I start school again. So, please help me accomplish that. Thanks.

-AJ


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